TNRD, New Gold mum on City’s application

Posted on March 29, 2014 in TNRD // 0 Comments

NEWS — New Gold won’t be jumping into any debates over the City of Kamloops’ application to annex its New Afton mine site.

City council decided this week to put together an application to the provincial government to bring New Afton within municipal boundaries, thereby adding to its industrial tax base.

Kurt Keskimaki.

Both New Gold, which owns the New Afton site, and the Thompson-Nicola Regional District within whose boundaries the mine currently lies, are taking a “no comment” stance for the moment.

“We’re not here to talk about the City annexing New Gold,” mine site general manager Kurt Keskimaki quipped as he stood up to speak at a regional district board meeting Friday on another matter.

That squares with what a New Gold spokesperson earlier told The Armchair Mayor News — “We are aware of the situation and will monitor the process as it takes its due course.”

TNRD chair Bill Humphreys said there have been no discussions within the regional district about the City’s application or its implications for taxation to the regional district.

“There’s nothing to talk about” until the application has been submitted, he said.

It’s estimated the New Afton operation would contribute about $1.5 million to $2 million in taxes to the City.